REST IN PEACE: NELSON STEPHENSON

7 March 2014

War-time Town hero Stephenson dies

We are sad to report the recent passing of Nelson Stephenson who played a number of games for the Hatters during the war years.

Nelson moved from Huntingdon to Luton with his parents in 1937 and was soon playing for Holly Rangers who were a well known local side of the time. When the Town decided to form a ‘Colts’ side in 1940 a number of the Holly Rangers players were invited to Kenilworth Road for trials leading to Nelson signing for the club.

Games during the war were hit and miss affairs with constant changes of personnel leading to Nelson playing in, amongst others, 7-1 and 11-3 defeats at Northampton and Millwall respectively and scoring 11 goals in a 16-0 friendly win over an RAF XI.

After being called up to the RAF in 1943, Nelson continued to play forces football and did manage to make a couple of appearances for the Hatters in the 1945/46 season, the last before normal Football League services resumed.

A knee injury in 1946 put paid to a blossoming football career but Nelson continued to live and work in Luton for the rest of his life and was a regular at Kenilworth Road until relatively recent times.